Internet Can't Replace the Hamleys Store Experience

Gudjon Reynisson, CEO of the iconic British toymaker, says the company is expanding aggressively and India is high on its priority list.

- Samar Srivastava

Ever since its entry into India in 2010, British toy company Hamleys has scaled up aggressively. In six years, it has expanded to 26 stores in 11 cities and plans to double the count in the next two years. While the Hamleys model of making its stores a hub of activities works best when there are at least 1,000 footfalls a day, its ability to meet the target in the country makes the company’s CEO Gudjon Reynisson gung-ho about its prospects in India. The Icelander, who became CEO of Hamleys in 2008, is looking to cash in on rising incomes and greater social mobility. On a recent visit to the country, he spoke about his India experience, why Hamleys has an edge over e-commerce companies and its global expansion plans. Edited excerpts:

Abroad, Hamleys is known as a place where children go to have a good time. How easy or difficult has it been to recreate that experience in India?